


Planting Roots

by sleeperservice



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Transformation, Trees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 03:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13355520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeperservice/pseuds/sleeperservice
Summary: Zach Parise has a very unusual house guest for the summer. More accurately, a yard guest."I really need to be a tree. As soon as possible. I thought I could have waited it out but for some reason we keep winning and now it's about too late.""A...tree. Like, the thing with wood and leaves that's in the ground."





	Planting Roots

The Wild had made it to the Western Conference finals for the first time in over a decade, but they hadn't been doing so well. The players had gutted their way through all the previous rounds, running on a mixture of adrenaline and grit that was about to start failing. Zach could see it in their faces on the plane ride back to Minnesota after they had lost Game 4. This team was about to sputter out. He could especially see it with Mikko, who was a perpetual playoffs worrier; but this season he appeared to have lost interest about halfway through the first round. He hadn't scored a goal since the regular season and wasn't even feeding the puck to his linemates the way he had before the playoffs. He barely talked to his teammates and he had been dropping weight at an incredible rate. His mind seemed a world away, and Zach couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

Mikko's performance was a total trash fire during the morning skate before Game 5. No situational awareness, no skill, no movement. He had been the same way in the previous day's practice, not to mention what he had been up to, or not up to, during Game 4. He shouldn't have even gone out there for an optional skate, Zach thought, but he had seen enough out of Mikko in the last five years to know that the only thing that would keep him off the ice was the complete inability to shoot or skate. He still had that. Sort of. He was upright and moving forward, albeit at a snail's pace, and Mikko would probably count that as a victory.

Zach pulled him aside after, before Mikko had the chance to slip out of the practice facility like he had been. "I should have talked to you earlier about this, if nobody else has. You're not playing too well right now. If something is wrong with you, let us know. We'll understand. But you can't keep on going the way you're going; it's not only hurting you, it's hurting us."

"Zach...you're not going to believe it if I tell you, so I won't. It's nothing," Mikko said in a whisper.

"It has to be something. This isn't the way you play. You went out there with the flu this year and were more on than this. I've been watching you since the playoffs started and you're wasting away, bud, you can barely even _talk_ , and you're a complete liability on the ice. I don't want to ask anyone else what's going on, so I'm asking you. Man up and let me know what I can do to help, or I'm going to go to our coaches and tell them to think about scratching you for your own good. You shouldn't be out there like this."

"You can't, Zach, if we don't pull it off tonight, we're done, this is the elimination game," Mikko gasped. He swayed and grabbed on to Zach's shoulders to keep from falling.

"Mikko, you're done. Listen. Come on, let's sit down, you can't even stand up straight without falling down; this is not in any way normal. We'll go into one of the private meeting rooms and you're going to tell me exactly what's going on right now."

They made their way to the meeting room, Mikko walking very slowly and hanging on to Zach for dear life. Zach had to sit Mikko in a chair.

"I'm thinking I should get a trainer or doctor in here right now but I'm afraid of what's going to happen if I leave you alone," Zach said.

"No! They can do nothing for me!"

Zach took Mikko's hands in his. They were dry and cold. "Now, you're going to tell me what I can do for you. Because something's wrong and we're not going to leave this room until you tell me what it is."

Mikko's shoulders slumped in either fatigue or defeat. "There's something I need to do very soon, Zach, or I will die. I'm dying now. I thought I had enough time to make it back to Finland, but now I do not even think I can make it to the game tonight."

Zach choked down a sob. "Mikko, if we had known, we...we would have helped you. All of us. You didn't have to suffer through this alone, nobody would have let this leak to the press; we love you, we wouldn't have done that."

"Most of you do." Mikko laughed weakly. "But it is not a thing you could have helped me with."

"What's this thing you need to do, though? I can help. I promise. I never let a friend down."

"Zach, I tell you, you are not going to believe me."

"I've been around long enough I've heard everything. And you never know unless you try to tell someone, so just tell me what it is. It doesn't matter how ridiculous you think it is."

"I really need to be a tree. As soon as possible. I thought I could have waited it out but for some reason we keep winning and now it's about too late."

"A...tree. Like, the thing with wood and leaves that's in the ground."

"Yes, that kind of tree, I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"I didn't say I didn't. I just wanted to make sure I heard you correctly. Well, can I help you be a tree? It's not like you're playing tonight, Mikko; even you came to that realization a few minutes ago."

Mikko smiled. "I haven't been thinking right lately."

"I've noticed."

"I forgot you had moved, and you can help me. Take me home with you now. I can get settled in before the game. I won't be any trouble to you at all but you take such good care of us, of me, I trust you."

"So I can help you be a tree, by taking you home today."

"Yes. You have that nice big yard with all the privacy and there is plenty of space in it for me to become my other self for a time, and you take such good care of your yard and I trust you will take care of me for as long as I am a tree. And I can start that this afternoon."

"Okay, Mikko, I'll do what you say." Zach didn't believe this tree nonsense. Mikko was sick, probably dying, as he said, but if he was refusing all other help, what could he do? But if it made his friend feel better, if Mikko thought it would help him not be sick, Zach would do anything to make that happen.

"I'll get ready. I will let my mother know what is going on. She would be here, but she has many trees to watch over this summer herself. I'll give you my phone unlocked so you can handle things for me when I cannot."

  


Zach drove home. Mikko was in the passenger seat, with the seat all the way back, sleeping. Every so often Zach looked over to see if he was still breathing. He could occasionally hear a gasp of air, as well. There were times that he wished that they hadn't decided to move so far out from St. Paul and this was definitely one of them.

Zach had packed up all of Mikko's stuff that was at the practice facility at his request. Mikko said, bluntly, that he didn't believe he was coming back that season. He had let the trainer know that he was ill, and the trainer had clearly seen that he was, and he would be missing the game that evening. Zach had called his wife to let her know that they would have a guest for a while, and that he would let her know who and why as soon as he saw her in person.

When they arrived at Zach's house, Zach parked in the garage and shut the door. Mikko had said he didn't want anyone outside of the Parise family to see him at all. Zach couldn't figure out why, but he agreed to do that. He got out, opened the passenger door, and helped Mikko out of the car. He had his arm around Mikko's waist as they slowly walked, through the back door of the garage, to the patio.

Mikko collapsed into a lounger. "Zach, you're going to have to help me with this and I am so sorry that I'm even having to ask, but I need you to help me take off my clothes."

"Hey, I understand. You're a tree, trees don't wear clothes. Right?"

"Yes. We don't, when we are trees. Also, I can't let my feet touch the ground. The minute they do, I will start the whole process. Growing roots. I want to be in the ground so bad, Zach. I'm so hungry."

"Is that why you're so thin?" And twiglike, Zach thought to himself. "You haven't been eating?"

"I can't eat now, that is how I knew I had passed the point of needing to become my tree-self. I will take my food from the sun and soil as soon as I can."

Of course. That's how trees ate. "Do you, like, need me to fertilize you or anything?"

"Possibly. Also you need to make sure I get enough water. Everything else I should be fine. Don't be fussed about squirrels and birds, they will like me, I like them."

Zach was already helping Mikko with clothing removal. "Okay, dude. Did you want me to fold these up now or are you alright with me just putting them on the patio?"

"You'll come back to them and put them in the house with the rest of my stuff, I know. Now, we just need to hurry." Mikko tried to stand up but fell back to the chair. "Damn it. You need to carry me out there while you find a spot. I cannot walk."

Zach took Mikko's shoes and socks off. "I'll try to fireman carry you. I see a nice spot over there, and you can look at it right from here. Looks like plenty of room for roots and no other tree will block your shade."

Mikko nodded. "It looks a bit wet, but it should not be that much of a bother. It is not as if I will live there for the rest of my life. When I take my final rooting, it will definitely not be there, but now it is nothing to mind."

"If it's okay with you, it's okay with me. Going to pick you up now." Zach was surprised. Mikko was a deceptively big guy, but right now he did weigh almost nothing. If Zach hadn't confronted him after practice, how long would have he starved himself?

Zach carried Mikko to the desired spot. "Do you want to face the house or something else?"

"The house, please. It is not like I will have eyes soon but I will be able to sense your presence, and it will be comforting."

He really hoped that Mikko wouldn't try anything that would actively harm him out there. "I'm putting you down now. Your feet are going to touch the ground. There you go. Is everything all right?"

Mikko sighed with pleasure. "Yes, all right. Just as I wanted. It feels so nice, the grass under my feet, oh! The roots are coming out now, Zach, I will not have much time left to speak with you. It should not take me long to be my full tree-self. You and your wife do not need to stay with me and watch over me today. Go to the game. Play the game. Don't worry. My mother will take care of any of my business matters this summer, you just need to make sure I am safe. If things go well I will be back with you in the late summer or early fall. Tell the guys I'll miss them and that I love them. I miss them already."

"Mikko, don't talk like you're nearly dead. I'll tell them that, sure. I just hoped that this would make you feel better."

"It does! I feel the best I have in three years! I haven't done this since 2015, it was my error, I played too much hockey and had too much fun and now it is coming back to hurt us. I am sorry. Please, Zach, before I am unable, come close to me; I want to hug you and have that last bit of human contact."

Zach felt weird about hugging a naked guy, but it was Mikko and he never would get naked in the middle of someone's backyard without a good reason. And he did sound better already. Zach looked down at Mikko's feet. He couldn't see the feet. He saw silvery bark covering Mikko's legs. He looked up and saw the bark had already gone past his waist. Zach hugged him very tightly. Mikko returned the hug, also very tightly.

"You're a birch tree, huh."

"Yes. We picked the family name for a very good reason."

"Yeah, so that's what it means, I kind of see that now." So, Mikko was a tree. Or partly a tree. Zach wondered how long the process took to complete.

"It feels like it is almost time for you to get back to work. Go back in the house. Get ready. You see? Everything is fixed. Just be sure to come out here every so often and keep me company? The squirrels and birds are nice, but they speak neither Finnish nor English."

"We'll do that. Can you talk back, though?"

"Of course not, but I can somewhat make my leaves rustle. One rustle for yes, two for no, how about that?"

"I can do that, sure." Zach clapped Mikko on the shoulder. Mikko had raised both his arms, which were now immobile. "Going to miss you a lot, though."

"I know. Go, get stuff done. I am not going anywhere, obviously."

  


"Why on earth is Mikko naked and standing in the middle of our backyard?" Zach's wife asked. "I knew you said someone was coming but I didn't know it was him and I didn't expect to see you stripping him on the patio. Thank goodness the neighbors can't see. I didn't want to see."

"But you didn't look away, huh." Zach playfully tapped her on the arm.

"I was curious! To see what you were doing, not anything else." She blushed. "And once again, what is Mikko doing out there?"

"Being a tree. He'll be here all summer. We just need to water him, maybe fertilize, probably check for pests, just the normal tree stuff."

"A tree."

"I know it sounds like a bunch of New Age crap, but trust me: he's really a tree. Or he is a human, being a tree or a tree, being a human or both at the same time; it probably didn't translate well in his head when he tried to tell me."

"A tree. You are telling me that Mikko Koivu spends his summers pretending to be a tree."

"No, I'm telling you that he is a tree. And the problem is, as he says, that he didn't spend enough time being a tree in the past few seasons and now he really has to be a tree."

"Zach, you are normally the most level-headed guy I know, but this..." She shook her head. "Also, I had thought that Mikko was the second-most level-headed guy I knew, but I apparently thought wrong. _Trees._ "

"I know trees are a total pain in the ass, hell, I know Mikko can be a total pain in the ass, but it's only for the summer and he's out there and he won't be a bother to anyone."

"Did he bring a tent? I don't want to have to put up a tent for him. I don't want him camping out in the backyard at all."

"He's not camping! He's a tree! Go out and look at him, see for yourself."

She looked out the window. "Where did he go? And where did you get the...tree. Oh, dear. Is he cosplaying as a tree?"

"No. He...wow, that's quick, there are some leaves already."

"Zach, we really need to hit the road soon before you're late for the game and it's bad enough that Mikko isn't playing, they don't need you not playing. They already broke that news about his being scratched for illness. Apparently 'pretending to be a tree' is too weird to put in the injury report."

"I get the idea, but you'll see later. He is a tree. Let me get Mikko's clothes in from the yard first. I'm going to put all his things in the guest room until he's back."

  


Zach was on time for the game. The Wild lost. They lost badly. He got stuck answering all the tough questions, which had nothing much to do with him; he had scored a goal and had an assist but they weren't enough. All the questions were about the team's absent and presumed ill captain. Zach also had questions about Mikko, like how he was doing out there in Zach's backyard. It had rained. He hoped that it wasn't a bad thing. He still could barely believe what he had seen out there in the yard and he knew his wife couldn't believe it at all.

They drove home in silence after midnight. The kids were asleep in the backseat. The clouds had cleared and a little bit of moonlight shone. When they arrived at the house, Zach thought the backyard looked wrong.

"Zach, there's something weird about the yard." His wife frowned.

"I see that too but I can't tell what it is. Let's get the kids in, and look at it together."

"Yup, will do. It's just weird!"

They went out to the backyard after putting the kids to bed and looked around. Zach's wife noticed what it was first. "I don't see Mikko around. Where did he go?"

"He wasn't in the guest room. I didn't think he would be, but I wanted to check."

"I do see we apparently have another new outdoor guest. Did you order that tree for me as a surprise and have it put in while we were at the game?"

"What tree...oh, my God, I think that's not just any tree. That's where I put Mikko down. He said it wouldn't take long for him to finish becoming a tree, but I didn't think he meant in twelve hours, and I didn't think he meant, well, _all that tree_." Zach looked up at the thirty-foot, full-grown, many-branched silver birch in the middle of the yard.

"That is an outstanding tree. And they didn't damage the yard while they put it in, either. I'm doubly impressed."

Zach sighed. "I guess you'll come around eventually. I'm going to stay out here in the yard for a while, all right? You don't have to wait up for me."

"Enjoy the tree, Zach. Even more than you've appeared to enjoy it."

Zach sat under the tree. "Can you hear me?"

The branches rustled once, but that may have been the wind.

"We lost. You were missed. Clean-out day is going to suck, especially if you're not there." The leaves rustled in reply. "I know, but can't you give me a time when you're no longer going to be a tree?"

The leaves rustled twice, quickly.

"You really can hear me!" Zach said.

The leaves rustled quietly once more. Zach gave the trunk a quick pat and went back into the house.

  


Zach really had no idea how to take care of trees. He hired landscapers and lawn care services to do that sort of thing, because he really didn't have time to do it and, unlike his teammate Ryan, he really didn't have the primal urge to spend his leisure hours unwinding by mowing the lawn. He decided to do a quick internet search that morning, which led him to the University of Minnesota extension website. There were lots of things about trees there, and birch trees in specific, which looked helpful.

It didn't look like he needed to fertilize trees as long as the lawn had plenty of nutrients, which eliminated one task. However, newly established trees needed lots of water. Zach was going to go out there with the hose as soon as he finished reading the rest of the relevant stuff on the website.

There were so many pests that ate birch trees. It looked like Mikko was probably going to avoid being eaten by leaf miners as his leaves were coming out after the miners would have hatched, but he was still in danger from Japanese beetles. Zach knew his yard guys had been complaining about beetles for the past few years and that they had put down a lot of grub killer in the lawn, so if any beetles were around it was going to be from neighboring yards. Now he was really worried. He had remembered seeing something on TV about drowning beetles in dish soap, or something like that. It looked like a lot of work. It was work that he was committed to do. Nothing was going to eat most of his friend's leaves and make it hard for him to photosynthesize.

Other than the insects, the other problems birch and other trees had were animal pests like deer and rabbits that like to nibble on bark. Zach had never seen deer in the yard but he knew that they were around in the neighborhood and it was better safe than sorry. He was going to head to a home improvement store and pick up some of that snow fence just in case. A protective cylinder would have been better if this had been a real birch tree with no alternate form and not Mikko, who may be bothered if he tried to shift back with a little constrictive case around his trunk. But this was no ordinary tree, so extraordinary measures had to be taken. Zach was also going to get some rabbit fence, which he was going to place inside the snow fence. They could remove the snow fence to get in and out, put a little gate-like thing in it, so he could maintain tree care on a daily basis.

Also, Zach really wanted the family to be around the tree. He had promised Mikko to keep him company, but four people were a lot better than just one. Mikko saw and heard way too much of him for at least seven months out of the year, anyway. Mikko's branches didn't have much of a spreading habit, so there wasn't much shade to be had, but it was enough. They could have picnics under the tree. They could even camp overnight under the tree and make a fun time of it, if his wife was willing. He just needed to make sure the kids didn't play with the bark. It would be a really fun summer with his tree-friend, Zach was sure of it.

  


Zach had gone all-out with the tree protection. He had placed snow fence at a seven-foot radius around Mikko's trunk and a rabbit fence very near the trunk. He was watering him on a daily basis, just like the website said to. Zach hadn't seen any beetles around but he had the non-concentrated dish soap at the ready just in case. Everyone in the family had spent time around the tree, having picnics, talking, running around, and sometimes playing catch. The ball occasionally hit one of Mikko's branches, but the ball was soft and he had said via his leaves that he wasn't very bothered.

Zach's wife still didn't believe that the new tree was anything more than an ordinary birch tree, but she put up with all his fussing about it. She did question why Zach had purchased a very expensive outdoor wireless speaker to place next to the tree.

"Mikko wanted to listen to the rest of the playoffs. I don't know why, but he seems to want to know what's going on," he said.

"If you insist," she replied. "We're going to use that thing all the time once the tree is done with its hockey fandom. It should be great for parties, if what it says on the box is true."

"Dustproof! Sort of splash-proof! Of course it is. And it streams hockey audio pretty well. We already tested it out."

"We being you. And the tree."

"Yup."

She only shook her head and left him to it.

  


Independence Day was one of Zach's favorite holidays. You got to make lots of food and eat outside with your family and maybe your friends and neighbors, and then you got to stay up late and watch pretty stuff explode. It was a great holiday. This year, however, it was going to be a bit different. The big outdoor grill-and-eat-all day thing was still on, but the nightly routine was changing. His family usually either lit some fireworks of dubious legality in the State of Minnesota out in the backyard or they went to one of the various municipal displays in the area.

This year, Zach was entirely too worried about Mikko to do either. His own backyard fireworks had a chance of lighting trees on fire. The neighbors weren't going to stop shooting off their own displays just because he asked them to, so he was going to stay home and sit next to Mikko with a hose just in case some stray sparks came into the yard and fell on him. His wife and the kids were going to whatever the next town over was shooting off over the lake. He could miss fireworks for one year.

Zach was alone that night, sitting down with a gently dripping hose on one side of him, a cooler full of beer on the other, and his back resting against Mikko's trunk. The neighbors had started shooting their fireworks off already.

"Can you feel the booms, Mikko?" A soft single rustle answered him. "I'll keep you safe, no worries about that. That's why I'm here." It was really a shame that Mikko's first Independence Day in the States was one where he could neither eat anything nor see anything explode, Zach thought.

"You should really come here on vacation next year and we'll do it for real. You heard us out here eating, right? Yeah, you did. I'm sorry. Next year, I'll make you some great stuff on the grill and we'll eat all day, I'll get some beer you like and we'll just have a fun time, and then we'll shoot off some really big fireworks."

Mikko's leaves were silent. As far as Zach could figure out, Mikko really didn't wake or sleep, he was just...there. Always there and sensing. Sometimes it took him a while to answer, if he did at all. Was treeness a form of contemplative state? He didn't know. He could ask Mikko after all the tree business was over, but the answer was going to be translated from Tree to Finnish and then to English and probably not make very much sense to Zach.

Zach cracked open another beer. He was down to the cheap beer he kept around just in case annoying neighbors crashed the 4th of July party. Definitely the "sex in a canoe" variety of beer, which meant that he didn't feel bad wasting it. Or perhaps not wasting it. Did tree-folk have the ability to get drunk through their roots? He could give it a try. Mikko should at least enjoy something out of the day other than worrying he was going to be lit on fire.

"Want a drink, Mikko?" This time the rustle was loud and definite. Zach poured the beer down at the base of Mikko's trunk. "Nice and wet there, huh? I hope you like it."

After a while, he could hear the tree shaking. It wasn't windy. Mikko wanted something from him. "More drinks, Mikko?" The answer was affirmative, so Zach opened the rest of the beers and poured them around where he could see and feel roots. At least the cheap beer didn't go to waste that night.

The neighbors had finally run out of fireworks. No sparks went astray, no fires were set. Zach put his arm around Mikko's trunk and rested his head against him, and fell asleep.

  


The rest of July went on normally. The tree was a normal part of the yard now. The outdoor speaker was used for kids' music when the kids were out and for Twins games when Zach was out in the evenings tinkering with the yard. Mikko hadn't been much of a baseball fan, as far as Zach knew; heck, he didn't even bother wearing baseball caps post-game like most of his teammates. Even Granny wore baseball caps, so Zach found this odd. Nevertheless, one evening Zach found himself sitting next to the tree and explaining baseball quite thoroughly. It helped that he had a captive, rooted audience. He tried not to rant about the bullpen too much, because when he did Mikko started to rustle more frequently. Zach couldn't tell if Mikko was agitated by bad pitching or just bored. He never gave Zach a straight answer as to either, just remained silent.

Zach had found the troublesome beetles on the leaves of the rose bushes late that month and had been drowning them in dish soap as directed. He had noticed some of Mikko's leaves were getting lacy, presumably from being eaten by beetles, but the questionable leaves were too high for him to reach unassisted. Mikko had replied very slowly when asked if he was distressed by bugs, but answered in the negative. It wasn't really an infestation, Zach presumed, just a bit of an annoyance. Mikko was used to being annoyed when he wasn't a tree.

August presented a few new problems, none of them related to insects or chewing animals. Zach had kept Mikko's phone on and charging in the guest room all that summer. He hadn't heard it ring or beep or anything since the day Mikko transformed in the yard. Anyone who had that number and didn't play or work for the Wild knew that he wasn't able to talk, Zach assumed. Or they were trying to contact him on his Finnish phone, which Mikko's mother probably had. She would be taking care of the annoyances on the home front, and Zach hadn't been bothered Stateside. However, as the days drew closer to training camp, the calls and texts to Zach about Mikko kept coming in. Zach had been playing a bit in his summer league in Edina; he needed the practice and liked being around the guys but it took him away from the wife and kids...and the tree, this summer. A few of the Wild players had asked him if he had heard from Mikko. Of course the answer was yes. They were assured that he was doing fine and was having a good summer. Unfortunately, the press was harder to deal with than the NHL player base. He was the last person who had talked to Mikko before the playoffs. Zach couldn't keep on ignoring those inquiries forever.

He took out the phone of last resort. Mikko would obviously have his own mother in his contacts. The phone was unlocked. He texted her explaining the situation, and asked if anyone could contact the reporters in question to let them know everything was proceeding as normal. His wife had suggested asking if Mikko's brother could pretend to be him. Unfortunately, that was implausible as Mikko's brother had a blatant Montreal accent when speaking English and nobody would ever believe that was Mikko.

The response came quickly. _We'll deal with it. Is Mikko STILL a tree? That's longer than normal._

_Yes, he's still a tree. Can we get him to un-tree or should we just wait?_

_Wait it out. He needs this. If he doesn't turn back by the beginning of September, let me know._

Mikko really had waited far too long to be a tree in previous years. Zach was now getting really worried. He went outside to talk to Mikko.

"Do you know when you're ready to come back to being a human instead of a tree?" Zach asked him as he sat down.

Mikko answered back quickly with one rustle of yes.

"Are you ready to come back?"

Mikko was silent for quite a long time. He rustled twice, then once.

"You don't know?"

Yes, he answered. Zach didn't know if the noise of leaves could even be possible to sound sad, but this one came close.

"Are you afraid of the next season, with this last one being such an inconsistent mess? I'm looking forward to not being injured for once, and maybe if I'm out there to start we'll get it together a lot sooner than we did."

There was another long pause, and an affirmative rustle.

"Mikko, it's not going to be bad. I'm going to be there, we're going to support each other, and 2019 is going to absolutely rock. Just remember, this yard's going to be here for you whenever you need it."

The leaves and branches went quiet. Mikko must have been rapt in thought or other slow tree processes. Zach went back into the house.

  


At dawn the next morning, Zach heard a pounding from the area of the patio door. He ignored it. Some animal was probably trying to get in. The next thing he remembered hearing was his wife's screaming from the kitchen. That got him up in a hurry. When he got down to the kitchen, his wife was making breakfast and Mikko was sitting down at the bar, wrapped in a blanket. He was no longer a tree, although there was a birch leaf in his hair and he looked a bit green.

"How did he get here," she said, "shivering outside on the patio naked? We haven't seen him since June and now he shows up?"

"I'm right here. You don't need to talk about me like I'm not here. I have been in your yard since June. You liked me! You liked me a lot!" Mikko was very irritated.

Zach laughed. "Did you look outside to see where your new favorite tree is?"

She looked out the window. "It's gone! But you were out there talking to it last night. I didn't hear anything dig it up and the fence isn't even disturbed. Who cut down the tree?"

Mikko was holding his face in his hands. "Some people will never believe."

"You see? There's the tree. He's got an open invitation to come back, though."

"Mikko, or the tree?" She winked at Zach.

"They're the same thing, so both?"

"Where's the guest room where you said you put my clothes? I'm feeling even more naked than when I was just out there clad in my bark." Mikko was glaring at both of them.

"Uh, I'll show you," Zach said. "Then I'll get you over to your actual house and we can start in preparing for the season. Also, text your mother."

"All right. Remember, you promised this season will be awesome!"

"I did. And my favorite tree's going to be good to go."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to nadler for talking trees and tree fic for most of 2017. One of us was going to put out a leaf first, and I guess it's me.
> 
> Thanks to frecklebomb and elenajames for the beta.


End file.
